The present invention relates to hair conditioning compositions comprising a carboxylic acid/carboxylate copolymer and a moisturizing agent selected from the group consisting of a polypropylene glycol and an alkyl ethoxylate.
Human hair becomes soiled due to its contact with the surrounding environment and from serum secreted by the scalp. The soiling of the hair causes it to have a dirty or greasy feel, and an unattractive appearance. The soiling of the hair necessitates shampooing with regularity.
Shampooing deans the hair by removing excess soil and serum. However, shampooing can leave the hair in a wet, tangled, and generally unmanageable state. Once the hair dries, it is often left in a dry, rough, lusterless, or frizzy condition due to removal of the hair""s natural oils and other natural conditioning and moisturizing components. The hair can further be left with increased levels of static upon drying which can interfere with combing and result in a condition commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cfly-away hairxe2x80x9d, or contribute to an undesirable phenomena of xe2x80x9csplit endsxe2x80x9d, particularly for long hair.
A variety of approaches have been developed to alleviate these after-shampoo problems. These approaches range from post-shampoo application of hair conditioner such as leave-on and rinse-off products, to hair conditioning shampoos which attempt to both cleanse and condition the hair from a single product. Although some consumers prefer the ease and convenience of a shampoo which includes conditioners, a substantial proportion of consumers prefer the more conventional conditioner formulations which are applied to the hair as a separate step from shampooing, usually subsequent to shampooing. Such consumers who prefer the conventional conditioner formulations value the relatively higher conditioning effect, or convenience of changing the amount of conditioning depending on the condition of hair or portion of hair.
Conditioning formulations can be in the form of rinse-off products or leave-on products, and can be in the form of an emulsion, cream, gel, spray, and mousse. Products in the form of cream, gel, and mousse are suitable in that the consumer can easily control the amount and distribution of the product. As such, these products are particularly suitable for leave-on products. Leave-on products which do not leave the hands with a tacky, dirty, feeling is desired.
Co-pending PCT applications US98/15852, US98/15853, US98/15854, and US98115855, describe hair care compositions suitable for leave-on products which contain a carboxylic acid/carboxylate copolymer. While such compositions are suitable for leave-on use, provide hair feel such as smoothness, softness, and reduction of friction, are easy to apply on the hair, and leave the hair and hands with a clean feeling, they are not satisfactory in providing moisturized hair at is feel and reduction of bulk hair volume. Fly-away hair is due to the increased level of static, and represents volume increase of only very minor amount of the hair as a whole, and is not desirable. On the other hand, reduction of hair volume as used herein relates to reduction of the bulk of the hair volume.
Based on the foregoing, there remains a desire to provide hair conditioning compositions suitable for leave-on use which provide improved conditioning benefits to the hair such as moisturized feel, reduction of bulk hair volume, are easy to apply on the hair, and leave the hair and hands with a clean feeling.
None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.
The present invention is directed to a hair conditioning composition comprising:
(1) from about 0.01% to about 10% of a carboxylic acid/carboxylate copolymer;
(2) from about 0.1% to about 10% of a moisturizing agent selected from the group consisting of a polypropyleneglycol, an alkyl ethoxylate, and mixtures thereof; and
(3) an aqueous carrier.
The present invention is further directed to a method of making the hair conditioning composition described above.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present disclosure.